Teams prepare for post-season
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
By winning 10 of their final 11 games, the Central Aroostook Panthers have moved up enough to earn the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Maine Class D softball playoffs.
That means coach Ryan Guerrette’s team will take on the winner of Tuesday’s preliminary game between No. 11 Woodland and No. 6 Ashland. The Panthers will host that quarterfinal on Thursday afternoon at a time not yet determined as of presstime.
The Panthers are an offensive juggernaut, having scored 275 runs in their 16 games for an average of just over 17 per contest. Eight of the team’s nine starters hold batting averages of .400 or higher, with Michaela King leading the way at .698 with 45 runs scored, 40 stolen bases and 33 RBI.
Guerrette’s team has battled injuries throughout the season and could be without two key players Thursday. Freshman Karli Levesque, who platoons with Carly Grass on the mound, suffered a thumb injury over the weekend and most likely will be unable to pitch or hit, although Guerrette said she is likely able to play defensively in the outfield. Catcher Page Fletcher suffered a concussion during the team’s May 20 game against East Grand and did not play in the Panthers’ final thee regular season contests. She has yet to be cleared to compete on Thursday.
Junior Megan King (the team’s second-leading hitter at .562 with two home runs, 41 RBI and 27 runs scored) will get her fourth consecutive start behind the plate if Fletcher is unable to go.
Still, Guerrette is pleased with how his team has handled the adversity throughout the season. CA also had some key personnel losses from the 2012 squad which lost in the regional quarterfinals to Deer Isle-Stonington, but Guerrette moved some of the returnees to other positions and the results were positive.
“I knew it would be a work in progress on the defensive side of the ball and it took us a little time to figure out what we were doing,” Guerrette said, “but we have really stepped up on defense and it’s something we’ve worked hard at during the year.”
CA had a nine-game winning streak halted last Wednesday with a 6-5 loss at Fort Fairfield, but the team bounced back to beat Madawaska the following afternoon, 16-9, and the Panthers take a 12-4 record into the post-season.
They might be playing Ashland Thursday if the Hornets were able to pull out their game against the Dragons Tuesday afternoon. CA and Ashland met twice during the regular season, with the Hornets winning 22-16 in Mars Hill April 23 and the Panthers claiming a 22-6 victory at Ashland May 14.
The Hornets, coached by Terry Hunter, went 8-7 on the campaign.
Several other local softball and baseball teams opened the post-season with preliminary contests played Tuesday.
Fort Fairfield, the No. 5 seed in EM D with a 10-5 record under coach Jamie Selfridge, hosted 12th-ranked Machias Tuesday, with the winner playing No. 4 Katahdin in Sherman Station Thursday.
Coach Tammy Tatlock’s Washburn squad, at 6-7 and in ninth place, played No. 8 Deer Isle-Stonington, which entered the game with a 13-3 record.
The Presque Isle softball team ended the season with three consecutive losses and an 8-8 record. Coach Terry Cummings’ team just missed out on making the playoffs following last Wednesday’s 8-5 home loss to Caribou. PI ended up 15th in the division, with only the top 13 advancing. The Wildcats were less than two Heal Point tournament index points from qualifying.
In Class B, the Presque Isle baseball team put together a 6-10 record, which was good enough to make it into the playoffs as the 13th seed. The ’Cats, coached by Tim Olore, played at No. 4 Waterville Tuesday afternoon.
The Wildcats were the top seed in last year’s playoffs, but were upset by Camden Hills in the quarterfinals.
Fort Fairfield is the only local squad earning a berth into the EM Class D baseball playoffs.
Coach John Ala’s No. 5 Tigers, at 11-4, hosted No. 12 Jonesport-Beals Tuesday, with the winner moving on to play No. 4 Southern Aroostook in Dyer Brook Thursday in the quarterfinals.
Washburn, Central Aroostook and Ashland all missed out on this year’s post-season.
